


Your protector's coming home

by robotwitch



Series: Once more for the ages [8]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Family Drama, Family Secrets, Gen, In-Laws, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 23:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20144131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotwitch/pseuds/robotwitch
Summary: Elena and Sam don't exactly see eye to eye about each other or what's best for Nate.  (U4 missing scenes)





	Your protector's coming home

She can picture it easily enough: a ragged, teenage Nate tailing Sully through the dusty, hot streets of Cartagena. Nor does she find the true story of how Sir Francis Drake’s ring came into his possession all that surprising.

Though his line about being Drake’s descendant doesn’t change. Insisting, “It’s not stealing if it was technically my family’s to begin with.”

Elena shakes her head, unable to fathom how he is so convinced of his lineage.

But she lets it go. She’s amazed by how much he’s already told her about his youth. She trusts he’ll tell her when he’s ready.

Except when Elena calls mom and dad to solidify her plans to visit home next month, matters get more complicated.

“We’d love to meet Nathan, if he’s available to come with you.”

Elena bites her tongue, wishing she had done so earlier and not told them things were getting serious. But it’s the truth.

She imagines this is as serious as things have gotten for either of them: confessing their love, sharing their histories, moving in together. Granted it wasn’t so much a plan to move in together as it was a matter of convenience when Nate was evicted, but the end result is still the same.

Unsticking her voice from her throat, “I’ll ask. Just don’t get your hopes up.”

Nate’s got a pencil poised above the pages of an incredibly dense book when Elena hangs up.

Meeting her parents is another level of serious she’s not convinced they’re ready for. Mom and dad haven’t met any of her boyfriends since high school and only then because they were picking her up at the house.

Meeting her parents means delving into embarrassing stories from when she was a kid. Which, in a backwards sort of way, feels like it would be bragging about her ordinarily stable childhood in comparison to Nate’s.

Meeting her parents means he’ll be subjected to an interrogation about every aspect of his life, especially those Elena’s left up to Nate to decide when he’s ready to talk about them.

_If_ he agrees to meet them, she might just have to force the issue to save him that particular portion of the conversation.

Swallowing, “Hey, Nate. How’d you like to come with me to Denver?”

His head snaps up, “What?”

“My parents would like to meet you.”

Nate’s mouth hangs open, before finally managing a single word, “Why?”

“Because I think they realize how much I care about you.”

She doesn’t say ‘love’ because she doesn’t think mom and dad realize it’s that deep. Because even though he said it first, she doesn’t want to scare him into thinking her parents think it’s _that_ serious.

“Then I guess I’m going to Colorado.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

It was the last answer Elena expected, but she is happy he accepted, though she wouldn’t have fought him if he had declined their invitation.

“It’ll give me a chance to even the score a bit – see how you grew up.”

“About that,” Elena inhales, not ready to disturb the trust Nate’s placed in her. “You know this won’t be just about them being painfully embarrassing. They’ll want to know all about you too.”

She can’t believe she’s resisting his easy ‘yes’, but she won’t let him be blindsided by whatever questions they ask about the secrets he’s still carrying.

“So, I’ll tell them what I tell everyone else what I do for a living –”

“No. Not that part – well, yes that part too. But about your parents, where you grew up – they’ll want to know everything about from before you met Sully.”

“Now I know where you get it from,” he sighs, finally putting the book down.

“Nate, please. If you can tell me first, I can at least tell them for you. That way whatever you’re hiding –”

“I’m not hiding _anything_, Elena. It’s just – it’s not easy to talk about.”

Elena folds one leg under her as she sinks onto the sofa across from Nate and squeezes his hand.

“I know. Which is why I’m offering to tell them _for _you, if you want me to.”

Absently, Nate strokes the back of her hand with his thumb.

Taking a steadying breath, “Before I met Sully, I was a runaway.”

That much Elena surmised, but there’s something different about hearing Nate say it. “From where?”

“Saint Francis’ Home for Boys, where my dad dropped us after my mom’s suicide.”

The words spill out so quickly, Nate might as well have spit them out as if they were sour milk.

Her heart pangs for wanting to be able to do or say something more than, “Nate…”

“Don’t. It’s not worth feeling bad about, Elena. The bastard was barely around when she was alive – from what I remember.”

But that’s exactly what breaks her heart. Someone should’ve been there. _His dad_ should’ve been there to care for him, but instead he abandoned Nate at an orphanage when he most needed someone to be there for him.

Her thoughts race from overwhelming grief to outrage. His dad can go fuck himself for all Elena cares, but she struggles to understand what would cause his mom to leave her son so defenseless in the world.

“How old were you?” she finally croaks.

“About five when she died. And twelve when we ran away.”

Her brow knits. This is the second time Nate’s talked about himself in the plural; it’s strange, but then who’s she to judge his coping mechanisms. She has no idea how she would’ve reacted.

It’s no wonder to Elena now why Nate’s trust in Sully is so unshakable. When no one in the world lifted a finger to help Nate, Sully rose to his defense.

If only he could’ve been there for Nate sooner.

“I’m so sorry, Nate.”

“What for? It’s not like any of it is your fault.”

“Still, I can’t imagine –” her voice fails her.

Elene used to think of herself as a lonely child; no siblings, but parents who loved and supported her and cousins nearing a dozen. It doesn’t compare to how alone he must’ve been.

Or how he must still carry around those ghosts of the ones who should’ve been there for him.

\----------

He’s midway through his cigarette when the front door opens and Nathan steps into the pre-dawn light. Sam inhales wrong, nearly choking.

He swallows the hacking coughs as Nathan locks the door behind him, spinning the keys in hand as he heads toward the car.

Nathan barely looks as if the fifteen years have touched him, outrunning time as well as bands of mercenaries on the adventures Sam’s heard so much about. But there are several key differences between Nathan and this man Sam only recognizes on hearsay to be his baby brother.

First off, there are no shiners gracing his face; Nathan never could resist the temptation of a fight. This man looks like he’s never seen the other end of a closed fist. Second, he’s too bulky; Nathan was almost too lean to look like he could withstand a hit, but this man’s barrel-chested, like he’s seen the inside of a gym.

Most glaringly, Sir Francis Drake’s ring isn’t hanging around this man’s neck. There’s not a thing in the world that would’ve made Nathan part with that relic, so there’s no possible way _this_ is who his baby brother’s become.

But the longer Sam stares at the man, the easier it is to acknowledge that maybe it is Nathan and the fifteen years have just caught up with him in ways Sam never could’ve predicted.

Nathan looks tired and not because of the early morning. More like worn down, like this life doesn’t suit him.

Hell, Sam knows it doesn’t; it’s not what they were meant for.

Nathan’s in the car and kicked the engine into gear before Sam can buck up the courage to approach him and remind him they were meant for far greater things than this.

The car’s out of the driveway and turned down another street before Sam even _thinks_ of tracking him to wherever he’s headed.

When the car is no longer in sight, Sam’s attention shifts back to the house, waiting for some sign of _her_.

Of all the rumors about the Legend of Nathan Drake Sam can’t believe it’s the one where he fell in love and got married. But the proof of it is more tangible than any of the other stories Sam’s heard from Rafe or otherwise.

_She’s got to be damn special for Nathan to give up everything_, he thinks in a huff.

He catches his first glimpse of her through the front window, coming down the stairs; Sam frowns to himself.

He’s seen the sort of women Nathan went for in the past; she doesn’t fit those categories, not in appearance at any rate. Pretty, but not like the knockout lookers he used to pursue.

So he imagines she must be some sort of vivacious livewire in order to entice Nathan into matrimony. But circling around back, all he sees is the completion of a daily routine before she returns upstairs.

Sam doesn’t get it. This can’t be the life Nathan wants, not after all the adventures he’s had.

There’s no greatness in this life, just normalcy.

That life might suit some people, but not _them_ – not the Brothers Drake.

He wonders how long it took _her_ to make Nathan forget that, forget who he is. Because he doesn’t understand why Nathan would choose this for himself otherwise.

Unable to sit still, Sam wanders the neighborhood, trying to parse it out.

It’s near dusk when his feet find themselves planted in front of the house again; Nathan’s car back in the drive, a light on in the attic.

The only other light from the house spills into the yard from the living room and Sam finds himself watching her type away on a laptop. She pauses to stir something in a pot on a stove before shouting up the stairs.

“Hey Nate! Are you coming down to eat?”

A chill shoots down Sam’s spine, watching Nathan play the domestic role.

No one know his baby brother like Sam does and every word he utters is a lie. Try as Nathan might to convince himself _this_ is the life he, Sam isn’t fooled.

What surprises Sam is that she seems to suspect he isn’t being entirely truthful too. She raises a skeptical brow as Nathan tosses his plate aside. She must see that this life is stifling Nathan; he needs to get out of here, for his own benefit as much as finding Avery’s treasure.

Sam stops paying as close attention once the TV’s turned on, figuring how best to approach Nathan with his findings. Anxious about how to tell him he’s been free for two whole years and didn’t immediately track him down, _her_ laughter floats through the night air, cutting his thoughts short.

Sam peers through the window to witness the greatest lie he’s witnessed all evening.

Though low and muffled by the window, her question burns in Sam’s ears, “Hey, are you happy?”

“Yeah, of course. You?”

She teases Nathan with an ‘umm’ and Sam can’t bear to watch any longer.

This whole life is a lie. Sam knows his baby brother better than anyone and Nathan _isn’t_ happy because this isn’t the life he was _meant_ for.

But there’s something here Sam didn’t account for. Sam didn’t account for how they _held_ each other, how it’s blinded them both into accepting the rest of the lies.

It’s up to Sam to fix it.

_That’s what big brothers are for._

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sam knows what he has to do, but luring Nathan away from this trance will take more than Sam rising from the grave.

\----------

Sam stares into his distorted reflection in the pool, waiting.

He thinks about lighting up a cigarette, but his nerves aren’t their usual sort of on-edge. Though they’re not exactly calm either. He refuses to call it guilt.

The result of last night’s argument was definitive – he won. _She_ – Elena lost. Nathan’s coming with him to Libertalia.

But the longer he waits for Nathan to emerge from the motel room, the knot in Sam’s stomach tightens. His victory should feel better than this.

When Nathan finally joins him, loaded up and ready, he looks as though he hasn’t slept a wink.

“Let’s go.”

“Right behind you, Nathan.”

Even if Nathan is acting like a disgruntled child, Sam starts to feel better – feel victorious.

For the first time in twenty-five years, it’s just them and the hunt for treasure. No Victor hounding him. No controlling partner dictating their next move. No wife hanging over Nathan’s head.

At least, she shouldn’t be. Her ultimatum was clear enough, Nathan’s choice clearer. He’s a free man; sooner or later he’ll realize he shouldn’t have any hang-ups over breaking his marriage vows. More than likely, Elena’s already hiring an attorney anyway.

Sam takes point on the boat rental. He doesn’t quite have Victor’s knack, but he does alright, trying to ignore Nathan’s muttering on the matter.

Sam may not have ever trusted Victor, but he could understand and appreciate the man’s assets to the team. He’s a scammer and a con artist, one of their kind. They are literally poorer for him having walked out the door with Elena, but Sam would rather pay the premium to be rid of both their meddling.

It’s Elena Sam doesn’t get. Rafe only mentioned her existence as it made Nathan lower in his estimation. Nathan’s stories raised her up above the worth of all the treasure he discovered.

Meeting her – well, ‘meeting’ her, Sam saw only the one person who could stand between him and his brother. But instead of lashing out at him, like most people do, she lashed out at Nathan, removing herself from the picture.

What killed Sam to watch wasn’t both their hearts shattering, but the realization Nathan could never be anything but _this_. Treasure hunting, adventuring – they’re at Nathan’s core. She can’t have him without those.

The thought had crossed Sam’s mind to come to Nathan’s defense and challenge Elena, but there’s no way of knowing how that would have backfired on him or turned him into the villain.

Instead all Sam had to do was bide his time and Elena handed him the one thing he wanted most in the world.

Being out on the water, back on the treasure’s trail, Sam hopes Nathan will come to his senses.

He was coming alive before she showed up; Nathan will be himself again before too long. But Sam’s found a little nudging along the way never hurt.

Sam stashes a few beers in the cooler along with their provisions. They’re together again, doing what they were meant to, Sam would say that’s cause enough for celebration.

Eventually Nathan will see it that way too.

\----------

She can’t see Nate through the dust and smoke of the explosion.

“Nate! Nate!” Elena screams.

A hand catches her by the arm before she can turn on her heel to go back for him.

“We’ve got to run! Now!”

“Are you crazy? We can’t just leave him –”

“And we’re no good to him dead either!”

Elena tries to wrench her wrist out of his grip, but she underestimated Sam’s strength. He yanks her away from the wreck just as another barrage of bullets soars overhead.

Sam drags her further inland, Shoreline’s assault still focused on the scuttled ship where they were separated from Nate. Gunshots fade into the distance, there’s no going back for him now.

_There had to be another way off that ship_, Elena tells herself. She won’t accept that she came back for Nate, only to leave with Sam.

His fingers finally lose their grip when Sam stops in his tracks to wheeze.

Despite the trouble breathing, he puts a cigarette between his teeth and pats down his pockets for the lighter still in Nate’s possession. He groans frustratedly as Elena tsks, disgusted.

Neglecting to offer the matches in her own pocket, “It’s all out of fluid anyway.”

“Shit.”

“How can you even think about having a smoke at a time like this?”

“Excuse me for having a goddamn need. Christ, you sound like Nathan.”

Elena glares at Sam.

Angry as she wants to be with Nate, she wants to forgive him too; it feels like mere moments ago she was _almost _ready to.

But with Sam – she’s not ready to let go of her anger toward Sam. She knows exactly how much of the blame should fall on his shoulders; none of them would be here if he had just stayed dead.

She couldn’t so much as glance at him back at the motel, but now Elena can’t tear her eyes off him. Even after everything Nate told her, she can’t fathom how Sam has earned the same level of devotion as Sully from Nate.

“How the hell you’d wind up here end anyway? Thought you were leaving.” He takes the unlit cigarette out of his mouth and starts fiddling with it, waiting for her response.

Elena hasn’t stopped to take a breath since she got here; figures the first one she gets, she’s stuck with the last person she wants to speak to.

“Change of plans – Sully and I decided to come after you two.”

“And a change of heart?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Being around Sam is enough to make her consider putting divorcing Nate back on the table.

To his credit, Sam puts his hands up in surrender. If only he would stop running his mouth, “I suppose Nathan told you about my little fib.”

Snorting, “You call that little. You’re lucky Nate loves you too much to leave you behind.”

Bewildered, “And you didn’t try to convince him otherwise?”

Elena desperately wanted to be so petty, and Nate was ready to follow her, to fly far away from this place and never look back. Lucky for Sam, she realized what he couldn’t; Nate would never forgive himself if he did that to his brother a second time.

“Like you said, ‘we’re no good to him dead’.”

Sam swallows hard and nods. He knows that better than anyone.

_BAM._ Their heads snap in the direction of the port town. A tower collapses before their eyes.

“That’s gotta be Nate! Come on!” Elena dashes ahead.

Sam follows a moment later. His breath is more ragged, but his legs far outstretch her own; it doesn’t take much for him to regain the lead.

Nor does it take long before Shoreline’s guns are trained back on them down the hill. Though her aim is much improved from the day Nate first handed her a pistol, firing it has never gotten any easier for her.

She tries not to think about how the insurance Shoreline offers on its mercenaries’ lives won’t ever make of for the loss to their families. But she does and how each of them is irreplaceable to someone.

How Nate’s irreplaceable to her. How Sam’s irreplaceable to him.

“Sam! Look out!”

“Elena!”

They spot the mounted gun simultaneously.

Elena digs her heels into the sand, hoping one of her shots will slip through the cracks in the shield. Not her smartest idea, but she’s not losing ground on this.

Sam’s shoulder slams into her side before she can determine if any of them hit their mark. Her body crashes into the ground behind a boulder just large enough to cover both of them.

Shouting at her, “Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?”

“This is the quickest way to get to Nate!” Getting up, she crouches, ready to bolt at the first possible opportunity.

“By which you mean stupidest!” Pointing in the opposite direction to a near invisible path along a cliff, “You go that way! They’re not after you! I’ll distract them!”

Her eyes widen, surprised there’s _one_ Drake brother who at least sort of thinks through an escape strategy instead of just barreling on ahead.

But at the same time, “Are you _kidding_ me?”

“We don’t have another choice! If Nathan’s losing either of us, it might as well be me!”

Elena is horrified hearing her own terrible thoughts come from Sam’s mouth. “This isn’t a competition!”

Sam grimaces, like of course it is.

_Boys_, she thinks exasperatedly. “We’re getting out of here together! When the gunner reloads, go. I’ll cover you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll wait for the next reload.” There’s no way she’s letting him follow behind if he already thinks it’s a lost cause.

When it’s just her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, Elena pushes Sam forward and leans out of cover, her pistol trained on the machine gun. “Go now!”

Sam dives behind another rock just before the gunner is ready to fire another round. Elena ducks back down, breathing heavily. This is not the type if shooting she was meant for, but god, she has made it work since the day Nate first handed her a gun.

She crouches, ready to sprint at the next opportunity. All she has to do is get to Sam, then they’ll find Nate. But for now, she focuses on the machine gun, waiting for it to silence.

The last echo rings in her head then Sam’s voice comes through, loud and clear, “Come on!”

And Elena bolts toward him.

“Over there!” an unfamiliar, heavily-accented voice spots her.

A handful of mercenaries breaks the line and charges up the hill. Elena tries to run faster, but the rocks slide beneath her feet.

Without hesitation, Sam redirects his fire. Elena flinches at the blasts, but the bullets soar past her, raining down on the gaining mercenaries.

Reaching Sam, she pants, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.”

The dart along the path Sam spotted toward the telltale explosions of an RPG.

Common sense would be to run the opposite way, but they both know where there’s reckless destruction, there’s Nate. And if there’s one thing they can agree on, they both want to see him alive again.

\----------

She _knew_ Sam’s silence as they made their way through the port town was too good to be true.

But as much as she agrees with Sully, separating when they all just found each other again is the fastest way for them to get killed, there’s no time.

She missed the sound of the words ‘I love you’ in his voice. Elena doesn’t kid herself that Nate heard her whisper.

He _has_ to go after Sam. She’s said it before and she’ll keep saying it to remind herself: Nate will never forgive himself if anything happens to his brother, even if it means risking everything else.

Sully squeezes her shoulder, “Come on, darling. Better do as he says and get the plane up to that mountain.”

Shaking her head, “You go. I’ll find another way to catch up with them.”

“Elena, Nadine’s army is crawling all over that mountain.”

“I know.

“You’ll be caught for sure.”

“I’m the last person they’re looking for. They won’t see me coming.”

Sully purses his lips; it’s no use arguing with her when she’s made up her mind. They’re all leaving this damned island together or not at all.

With some luck, they find a wall low enough for Sully to boost Elena over, putting her on Shoreline’s trail – on Sam and Nate’s.

“How will I find you once you’ve caught up to them?”

“I figured I’d borrow a flare gun from Shoreline.” She doesn’t have to look at him to sense his exhaustion, trying to keep up with the rest of them.

“Be careful,” he stresses.

“I will. Thanks, Sully”

There isn’t time to say anymore. But then Elena’s determined this won’t be a ‘goodbye’, more like a ‘see you later’.

Depleted and in disarray, swiping a flare gun from Shoreline is easier than Elena expected.

It still astounds her how much damage one Drake can do to a band of mercenaries; two is chaos. She’s not sure if it should impress or terrify her what they are capable of, intentional or not.

Elena keeps to the tall grass as she moves toward the mountain, looming ever larger and more menacing overhead. She hadn’t really considered how much it resembled a monster until it threatened to swallow Sam whole.

Now, slowly making her way closer, Elena is reminded of every time she’s seen this same beast before. How close Nate and even she came to being consumed by it – before they realized what was important. Not once was the gold or the story the thing worth walking away with.

If only it didn’t take all this heartache for them to learn it. Elena was naïve enough not to understand until it nearly cost her life. For Nate, he almost lost Sully to get it. And now because his words weren’t enough, he’ll risk his life for the sake of Sam figuring it out too.

But the obsession doesn’t just come from nowhere.

The look in Sam’s eye when he told Nate ‘sorry’ had nothing to do with greed or glittering treasure. Elena won’t say she knows Sam well enough to understand what’s driving him to this stupidity, but she has a guess.

At the mouth of the cave, Elena can go no further. Even if she swam to the _Fancy_, she doesn’t know what she could do to help them.

So she waits, alone.

She waits and listens for the sounds of gunfire, echoing through the cave. But it never comes, just the constant lapping of the waves against the edge of the lake.

She waits and watches for a boat of the survivors of Avery’s madness. Instead, she sees only the glow of fire reflected in the water as it engulfs the ship.

Even as her heart pounds, Elena doesn’t believe it’s the end. Nate’s survived the impossible time and again. There’s no knowing what two Drakes might endure.

She’ll wait for something definitive before declaring it’s all over.

\----------

The island finally vanishes from sight and Sam turns his attention inward. In the cockpit, Victor and Elena speak in hushed voices, it’s a miracle they can hear each other over the sounds of the engine. Beside him, Nathan’s drifted off.

Sam doesn’t get how he can sleep at a time like this. His veins still course with the adrenaline of their escape. And something else, he can’t put his finger on.

Elena casts a glance over her shoulder at the pair of them and Sam looks anywhere but at her.

Disappointing Nathan and Victor is nothing new. Nathan will forgive him in time and Sam can live with Victor’s disapproval by ignoring it like he always has.

But Sam has no idea what sort of ground he stands on with Elena.

They’ve only _really_ known each other a few hours, and the scales are already tipped against him. No one’s made him feel guilty like this since Father Duffy, and Sam _liked_ him. In spite of himself, he might like Elena too, if she’ll let him.

Grateful as she may be for those couple of close calls on the beach, he doubts they make up for stealing Nathan away to begin with and nearly getting them all killed in the process.

And no matter what Nathan told her, she can’t possibly understand how much it meant to see mom’s theories through to the end. How much it meant to Sam that Nathan was there with him, even if it was for different reasons.

Sam’s already taken from Elena so much more than he can repay.

He hazards a look to see if she’s still watching him, accidentally catching her eye.

Elena pats Victor on the shoulder and climbs back into the hold. Making room for her to get by, the weight of what little gold Sam couldn’t resist grabbing shifts in his pocket.

She settles across from them, “Some day.”

“Some day,” Sam agrees.

Her gaze finally leaves him and lands on Nathan.

The mixture of love and relief softens her face in a way Sam hasn’t seen yet, having been only on the receiving end of her rage.

It rattles him to recognize there’s some residual anger in her expression too; he hates that it’s directed at Nathan and not him.

She starts fidgeting with her wedding ring again.

Time to start groveling for forgiveness, for both their sakes. “I’m sorry.”

Raising a pointed brow, the fidgeting stops. “For which part exactly?”

Sam staggers to find an acceptable answer. “For going after the treasure by myself. For lying to Nathan, twisting his arm into coming – leaving you.”

He can’t tell if that was the right response, Elena’s face hardening again. Maybe his apology could’ve been better directed to her, but then most of Sam’s offenses weren’t made against her directly; Elena just got caught in the crossfire.

“You didn’t make him lie to me about where he was or what he was doing.”

“Well, I may have encouraged –”

“He could’ve told me had a brother long before now.”

Sam bites his tongue rather than leap to Nathan’s defense this time. If it had been Nathan who had ‘died’, Sam can only imagine how deep he would’ve buried him too.

Elena sighs, tired. “And this isn’t the first time he’s pulled a Houdini on me.”

Another point Sam shouldn’t speak to. He only knows Nathan’s and Rafe’s versions of Nathan’s adventures, Elena likely would add a completely different perspective to the story. One he’s not sure he’s ready to listen to, in case it makes him feel even guiltier.

It’s strange enough hearing practically the same accusation from Elena about Nathan as Rafe had about him.

Not to mention, Sam’s never been particularly good at sticking around either. Before prison, he left a number of beds before dawn nor did he ever find one he wanted to go back to.

Instead, he chuckles to himself, “Huh? So he’s still going through a bit of a magic phase.”

Elena blinks, “A bit of a what?”

Sam smirks, “He never told you about his magic act?”

These past weeks have been a reminder of what it is to be the older brother. The past few days have cast him as the fuckup brother, especially in Elena’s eyes, but now he gets play to the embarrassing brother for her; a role he’s more than happy to take on for a change.

She shakes her head, ogling at Nathan in a completely new light. “Never.”

“Then have I got some stories for you.”

“Let’s save them for later,” Elena smiles gently. Yawning, “I think, Nate’s got the right idea at the moment.”

Sam nods, but his eyes still won’t shut.

Nathan loves Elena, no less or no more than he loves Sam. It’s as simple as that and yet Sam still managed to convince himself there had to be a winner.

Except forcing Nathan to choose somehow made them all miserable. No number of childhood stories can fix that.

He shifts in his seat, trying to make himself more comfortable, the coins clinking in his pocket.

Sam digs out one of the pieces of eight. They say money can’t buy happiness, but in this case, it might just save a marriage.

_Heads, it’s all theirs. Tails, I’ll give ‘em most of it._

Sam watches it spin in the air, not pinning his hopes on one outcome or the other.

Catches it in his palm and his fingers uncurl to reveal the skull and crossbones of Avery’s sigil.

_Heads._

**Author's Note:**

> This is a crossover of Naughty Dog properties, an alternate universe where there is no Cordyceps Brain Infection outbreak and everyone lives. Both the Uncharted and The Last of Us characters are here and very much alive, brought together through Cassie and Ellie's chance meeting at summer camp.


End file.
